Exhortation

JUDGES 9 : 8 -15

The Parable of: “Trees making a King”

 Form a Circle
 Read verse 8
 Others will read one verse each

Judges 9:8-15 New International Version (NIV)

8
One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They
said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’
9
“But the olive tree answered, ‘should I give up my oil, by which both
gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’
10
“Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’

“But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I give up my fruit, so good and
11

sweet, to hold sway over the trees?’

12
“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and be our king.’

“But the vine answered, ‘should I give up my wine, which cheers

13

both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?’

14
“Finally all the trees said to the thorn bush, ‘Come and be our king.’
15
“The thorn bush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me
king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let
fire come out of the thorn bush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

Key Questions after reading the whole passage:

1. Whom do the trees refer to?

2. Why do we need a King?
3. How do thorn bush and our God alike?
Personal Answers to the Key Questions:

1. Whom do the trees refer to?

 The trees are metaphor for us, the people. Each of us has
our own individual characteristics and capabilities just like
the trees mentioned in the story. The olive tree that bears
oil, the fig tree that bears fruit, the vine for its wine, and the
thorn bush that survives in harsh conditions.
 We as a music team also refer to these trees. We all have
our different skills and roles to play a part in worshipping
and praising God.

2. Why do we need a King?

 A King is like a Leader that takes care of its constituents.
 As Christians, our King is our Triune God; the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Among the three, the Holy Spirit is the one
that we can easily interact with nowadays.
 We as a music team, we need a King specifically the Holy
Spirit that will take care of us as we do our parts in praise
and worship. Every one of us can easily do what we do if
we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Even the people who will
listen to our songs will be blessed because of us as we
show them the leading of the Holy Spirit in praising and
worshipping His name.

3. How do thorn bush and our God alike?

 In deserts, thorn bush are the only trees that people can
take refuge during the day. Our God is like a thorn bush by
which we can go to in our hard times. Also, thorn bush is
repetitively mentioned in the Old Testament as
representation of our God in this world. For instance,
Moses and the burning bush in Mt. Sinai. The bush is
burning but not consumed. It represents God’s
omnipotence for withstanding the fire and not being
consumed.
Application of the Key Verse in the Story

15
“The thorn bush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me
king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let
fire come out of the thorn bush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

The thorn bush is a metaphor for our God. If we want Him to be

our King, we need to go to Him and take refuge in His side. This
means that we need to be in His presence and be at ease. Otherwise,
we may suffer His wrath.

Imagine you are in a desert that is very hot under a sunny day.
We are very tired and we found ourselves near a bush. If you want to
rest what will you do? Of course, all of us want to be in that bush and
rest in its shadows to relieve the heat we are experiencing. It’s like a
scenario where we are experiencing a lot of problems and we don’t
know what to do. We can turn to our God and be in His presence so
that our problems may become His and we all know that our God is
omnipotent, which means He can do all things to solve our problems.

Now, let’s go back to the desert scene. If you don’t want to take
refuge in that bush, we can still suffer the heat of that place. It’s like
facing your problems alone and you may feel the weight of it
eventually resulting to a life full of misery and hardships. Imagine if
the bush is burning and we are near to it under a sunny day in a
desert. The heat that we experience will increase. It’s like we are
experiencing God’s wrath and suffering like in hell.

We need to remember that our God is a forgiving God and

whenever we ask for Him, He will always respond. Whatever we may
have done, if we seek Him truly, He is always there to give us comfort
and security like a King who takes care of His people.

Play the worship song:

“Set a Fire by Jesus Culture”

Prepared by: Arniel H. Llagas